Marvelous In My Monday [MIMM] 11.12.12

The weather the past 3 days has been a real treat, much more enjoyable than the blustery and cool weather that rolled in last week…  Today was no different, sunny and spring-like, I definitely wanted to take advantage of it and be outside!  My Monday was just as marvelous as my weekend!

Marvelous…  3-day weekends [whoop, whoop].

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Marvelous…  A peppermint skim cappuccino from Starbucks.

Marvelous…  A peanut butter pancake bowl for breakfast.

Marvelous…  A long walk with a girlfriend, chatting about recent happenings and “it’s so bad, it’s so good” TV shows.

Marvelous…  A spicy salsa lentil stuffed pepper topped with melty mozzarella cheese for lunch.

Marvelous…  Chobani brownies topped with Peanut Butter Puffins.

Marvelous…  Going to the driving range and playing mini golf with Ryan.

Marvelous…  On-the-go afternoon snacks.

Marvelous…  A successful sweat session of 35 minutes spinning + 10 minutes stairs followed-up with TNT’s week 2 challenge and abs.

Week 1 Challenge

15 push-ups

20 squats

30 homework crunches

50 jumping jacks

*3 times through with no rest*

Week 2 Challenge

50 push-ups

1 mile run/ jog/ walk

Marvelous…  Watching He’s Just Not That Into You and the smell of pizza cooking in the oven for dinner.

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Marvelous…  MIMM, thanks Katie from Healthy Diva Eats!  I always enjoy reading other people’s marvelous posts, it’s a great way to start the week on a positive note 🙂

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  What’s your favorite “it’s so bad, it’s so good” TV show?

Question:  Have you ever baked with yogurt?  Do you have a favorite recipe?

Last Chance Survey

Whattt, another surveyyy?  Yup, you betcha!  I did one last Saturday and I’m doing another one this weekend following the lead of these lovely ladies [here, here, and here]…  Come on folks, just give me one. last. chance.  Pretty please, with sugar on top?!

1. Last food you ate?

A Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bar.  Halloween has come and gone and I’m happily embracing all things chocolatey, minty, and merry!

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2. Last beverage you drank?

A SF peppermint skim cappuccino from Starbucks.  We ran out of Silk Light Vanilla [our milk of choice] yesterday, so I thought it was a good excuse to make a quick trip up to Starbucks this morning…  Again, ’tis the season 😉

3. Last workout?

Man oh man, winter is on it’s way!  I was hoping to run outside but I pansied out and opted for the gym.  45 minutes on the spin bike and some abs, my body was sufficiently worked out.

4. Last thing you pinned? 

I received the monthly Great Harvest Bread Company email yesterday and was impressed by their Thanksgiving week “Handy-Dandy Schedule.”  Every Thanksgiving, no matter how prepared we think we are, my momma and I are scrambling around like turkeys with our heads cut off until dinner is on the table!  This year I will be referencing this tip sheet…

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5. Last text message you sent?

“Break and bake cookies!  Should we try?”– to Ryan when I was at Whole Foods and saw that Immaculate Baking Co.‘s Chocolate Peppermint and Gingerbread Spice cookies were on sale.

6. Last blog you visited?

Jessie Loves to Run.  Be sure to check her out y’all, she’s a fitness and food loving gal living in Kuwait and has an awesome outlook on life!

7. Last tweet you sent?

8. Last place you visited?

Does meeting my BFF downtown to do some work while she slaves away on grad school applications count as a place?  If yes, then I’ll say the Georgetown Library.

Side note: I am not a fan of libraries.  I’m a rather talkative person so the super quiet, sterile, and sometimes smelly [from old books] library atmosphere doesn’t strike my fancy.  Throughout college I opted to work at Panera or Starbucks [free wifi + good food] over the library.

9. Last time you did ab work?

This afternoon I did Tina’s 6-minute plank workout.  Beware, it’ll make your abs burn!

10. Last show you watched?

Modern Family.  Ryan and I had a stay-at-home date night last night which included going for a family walk, making a roaring fire, eating tasty turkey burgers with sautéed peppers and onions for dinner, munching on some popcorn, and watching reruns of Modern Family…  It was lovely!

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11. Last thing you baked?

Pumpkin spice bran eggie cups.  These were a hit with both Ryan and I [they reminded us of pumpkin pie] so I’m planning to make another batch tomorrow!

12. What is the last thing you Instagrammed?

Breakfast this morning, cinnamon pears and whole wheat oat pancakes…

toppings: plain Cho sweetened with stevia + slivered almonds + dried pineapple + honey

13. Last item on your to-do list today?

This morning I made a list of weekend to-do’s and many of the to-do’s are now to-done’s or will get done tomorrow…  Tonight I’m planning to enjoy a repeat of last night!

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  Have you had your first red holiday Starbucks cup?  Yup, I had my first on Friday!

Question:  How do you contribute to your family’s Thanksgiving meal?

Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM] #3

Welp, as expected, we woke up to rain and wind.  Thankfully, it’s not too bad but according to the news, Sandy is just getting started.

For breakfast I made a stack of pumpkin oat pancakes and offered to share them with Sandy [hoping to bribe her to stay out at sea] but she didn’t accept my gracious offer…  How rude!

After breakfast I swung by Whole Foods, the post office, and snuck in a sweat session.  The thought of being stuck inside all day makes me super antsy…  I prefer to be moving > sitting.

Sandy may not be so marvelous but many other marvelous things have happened over the past week 🙂 Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM]…

Marvelous…  No work.  The federal government is closed today and tomorrow = no work for me!  My agenda includes baking, cuddling with Charlie, reading, watching the news, and keeping dry.  Maybe a few canned goods bicep curls?

Marvelous…  Customer service.  A couple of weeks ago I made my first visit to Wegmans.  Holy moly, that store is glorious, it’s like a grocery store + a restaurant + a home goods store all in one!  Unfortunately, I picked-up some spoiled Chobani but didn’t notice until I opened the tub and it smelled sour.  I checked the date and sure enough it had expired 4 days before I purchased it.  Bummed that my money went to waste, I hopped onto Twitter and within minutes, both Chobani and Wegmans responded apologetically and were happy to refund my money!

Marvelous…  VitaTops.  In honor of Halloween, VitaTops offered an awesome BOGO deal earlier this month that I happily took advantage of.  Our freezer is now sufficiently stocked and we should be set for a few weeks!

diced pear + plain Chobani + cinnamon + stevia + Apple Crumb VitaTop

Marvelous…  Coffee catch-ups.  Saturday morning I caught up with a girlfriend at Starbucks.  The past two months were pretty busy for the both of us since we both got married in September!  As you could imagine, we had a lot to talk about and before we knew it, 2 hours had passed.

Marvelous…  Free bike.  While I was chatting away at Starbucks, Ryan was busy at home working, or so I thought until I received this picture…

Ryan said he saw one of our neighbors wheeling the bike out to the dumpster so he went to check it out.  Our neighbor said that she had no use for it anymore so she was giving it away.  Winning!  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Marvelous…  Belated birthday bash.  Saturday night I celebrated my belated birthday at Legal Sea Foods.  I didn’t take many pictures but I did enjoy a tasty dinner with great company.  I started with a glass of champagne and a house salad, shared a shrimp cocktail with Ryan, and ordered grilled scallops for my entrée.  Dessert was enjoyed at Pinkberry!

Marvelous…  Wedding gifts.  Last week Ryan and I received my momma’s wedding gift, a 10-piece knife set from Cutco!  My momma swears by Cutco and has used them for years [ever since I can remember cutting my own meals] and I am psyched to have a set of my own!  Sunday afternoon Ryan and I used a few wedding gift cards to purchase a pizza stone, a pig egg pan, and a pumpkin stew starter- a few “essential” kitchen items [haha]!  

Marvelous…  Blog updates.  I’m so excited about all the updates happening on LAB!  I really would like to share them with y’all but I’m trying my best not to spill the beans.  I’ve never been good at keeping secrets when it comes to exciting things [i.e. Christmas and birthday presents].

Marvelous…  Pumpkin spice bran eggie cups.  Last week I match a batch of veggie eggie cups and this week I made a batch of sweet eggie cups.  Regardless of whether they’re savory or sweet, eggie cups are great to pack in lunches or to grab on-the-go!

Pumpkin Spice Bran Eggie Cups: TJ’s bran cereal + egg whites + pumpkin spice + stevia

Marvelous…  TNT training.  Ryan and I are scheduled to start TNT training tomorrow night [assuming it’s not cancelled].  I hope after 13 weeks of getting my butt kicked, I have some meaty muscles on my bones!

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  What’s marvelous about your Monday?

Question:  What’s your favorite rainy day activity?